Actions you can take NOW to be more sustainable 🌎🌱
Plus fish in shark's bums and whether crabs are turned on by plastic
Hi everyone,
Last week was a bit intense, right? A lot of people (myself included) found themselves feeling overwhelmed by the findings of the IPCC report. If you didn’t see it, you can catch up in this Guardian article. In a nutshell, humans have caused unprecedented changes to our climate (Guardian) and no-one is safe from the impacts (UNEP).
In the light of the report, let’s try to see this as a call to action. More action is needed to reach net zero (BBC) but every action we take can make a difference if we act now (Independent).
So, before we jump into the news, here are a few things you can do to help:
Eight things you can do right now (The Times)
What can I do from the UK? (Guardian)
Some easy sustainability tips (BBC)
13 everyday habits to help the climate crisis (Metro)
How can I actually make a difference? (The Green Fix)
A few good climate podcasts to tune into (UNFCC)
& ideas of a few free things you can do today to start making a difference
And (pause for a quick sales pitch) if you’re a conservation organisation or sustainability startup that needs a bit of affordable guidance on how to maximise your comms efforts, get in touch to find out how I can help get you on the right path in just one hour
And, with that, let’s get onto the news…
🐳 Whales & dolphins
Whale, surf’s up: Amazing to see this mother whale and her calf playing with surfers (RNZ)
Yellow whales: epic aerial footage of Cuvier’s beaked whales (FTW)
Sushi time: cute video of a family of false killer whales sharing a meal (FTW)
Boat-free zone: small boats banned from some Spanish waters after orca encounters (Guardian)
Whales in Wales: humpback whale spotted in Pembrokeshire (Western Telegraph)
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🦈🐙 Marine animals
Sharting sharks: trust Simon Pierce to be behind this story on remoras trying to swim into whale sharks’ buttholes! (IFL Science)
Baby shark: to rub it in that I didn’t see basking sharks on my recent holiday, someone saw a juvenile in St. Kilda - cute! (BBC)
Nom, nom: Hermit crabs are attracted to plastic and may confuse it with food (Metro)
Sexy debate: but, despite the headlines you might have seen, they’re NOT sexually attracted to it (The Byte)
🎣🚯 Fisheries & threats
Aquaculture legislation: Scotland is conducting an independent review of fish farm regulation (The Herald)
Bag, bottle and straw: video explaining how satellites can prevent and reduce plastic pollution (European Space Agency)
Trojan horse: metals can be transported on microplastics, just like organic pollutants (Phys.org)
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💰 Opportunities
The Maldivian Manta Project: is looking for a regional project manager. Deadline is August 30th.
Conservationist of the month: to those of you interested in being featured in my blog series, you can submit your info here
Young ocean optimist awards: nominations are open for under-18s who have done something amazing for the ocean. Deadline 17 October.
Know someone who would love these opportunities?
🐚🐠 Ecosystems
£16.2m: Blue Planet Fund to help boost marine recovery (Gov.Uk)
Sea level visualisation: a tool shows how sea level rise could affect you (Independent)
Early warning: coastal dunes are being affected by sea level rise (Phys.org)
Heat stress: study finds coral reefs with more pollution deal with extreme heat better than untouched reefs (Phys.org)
Coral killer: scientists concerned about ecosystems shifting from stony coral systems to those dominated by marine invertebrates called corallimorphs (Phys.org)
Conservation optimism: for those wanting a positivity boost, here are some good news stories (Smithsonian)
📣 In case you missed it
Our new section, we’re recapping a few of the most popular recent stories
Once in a blue moon: first confirmed sighting of a blue whale off the Irish coast in six years (Irish Mirror)
Secret courtship: Basking sharks hold fins is just too cute (Guardian)
Glass octopus: rare footage of an octopus with transparent skin (BBC)
World’s largest jelly? an enormous 120ft jellyfish washed up in Ireland’s Co Clare (The Irish Sun)
Thanks - that’s all for this week! If you find this newsletter useful, you could give me a virtual tip to help keep it running
Melissa